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Birth Control?

honeywaterhoneywater Raw Newbie

So…being on birth control is completely non-raw, right? Because it’s a pill that kind of screws with your body unnaturally?

What do we all think of birth control pills in here? I really want to start using them, but are they going to be THAT bad for me? I’m not 100% raw anyway (maybe like 80% right now), but I do want to be as raw as possible, so I was wondering.

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Comments

  • skizzyskizzy Raw Newbie

    any way you look at it, birth control of any kind is not “natural.” our animal bodies are geared towards reproducing.

    frankly, i’d rather take the pill than worry about getting pregnant. for me, being raw is about doing what’s best for my body, and having an unwanted baby in my uterus is not good for my body! so i take the pill and save the stress for something else.

  • Birth control pills are not raw and not vegan. However, having child when you don’t want one is worse than taking birth control pills. There are many low hormone or progestin-only pills that are a little better. There are also several non-hormonal options: male condoms, female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, copper IUDs, and fertility awareness.

    Personally, I’m on Implanon which is one of the lowest hormone birth controls on the market, but I’m getting it removed at the end of the month and switching over to fertility awareness. Basically, you monitor your fertility signs like basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervix position to determine when you ovulate and you abstain or use condoms on the days you are fertile.

  • I wouldn’t feel at all bad about taking the pill. For me, the problem for me with fertility awareness if that I always (obviously) want to do it on the days I’m ovulating!

  • CarmentinaCarmentina Raw Newbie

    Here’s some of what you can expect on the Pill: blotchy skin, weight gain, depression, diminished sex drive and who knows how many other issues that tiny little pill brings on. Those are the ones I got and every other woman I know who got on it.

  • CarmentinaCarmentina Raw Newbie

    ...and also crazy skin. Really bad acne when you come off it. That’s what happened to me. I’d never get back on it. I gained something like 15 pounds and couldn’t lose it dieting – only getting off it.

  • For me the biggest issue was remembering to take a pill everyday at about the same time, perhaps easier for a woman without children but I have a 4 month old and my daily schedual is anything but regular also I didn’t want the side effects like weight gain and terrible mood swings (plus the decreased libido.. wink, wink) so I chose the Depo-Provera shot.. I mean I know that weight gain is also a possible side effect but for me I’ve been losing weight not gaining and it’s soooo nice not to have to worry about birth control everyday or if I miss a pill. I do agree though that one of the worse things a woman can do to herself AND the baby is to get pregnant when she doesn’t want to. I truely believe that the moods and thoughts of a woman affect the baby in her womb so her being angry and resentful that she’s pregnant and not wanting the baby will be like… well you get the idea.

    Like you I’m not 100% either and I know that pills and/or shots are not raw at all but I look at it like this: if the shot is the worst thing I put in my body then my lifestyle and raw foods are going to counter any bad things that the shot may have. I mean that’s what raw foods are all about..

  • Check this out Honeywater: http://ladycomp-babycomp.com/show.php/index !!!! I finally found my answer for natural birthcontrol! I just ordered the Pearly, a fertility monitor that tells you when you are ovulating. There are only 6 days a month that you can get pregnant (well actually only one… but the sperm can stay alive for those 5 other days before ovulating). By taking your temperature with this machine it tells you when those days are. For those 6 days you have to use a barrier method. If you forget to take your temp one day it is ok… it still works.. unlike the pill. In my last month of pilltaking (I have been on it for 13 years!) I forgot a pill in the first week and had breakthrough bleeding the whole month (- about 4 days…) I was searching for another answer because my soon to be husband and I (getting married in 2 weeks!!) want to get pregnant sometime in the next year or so. This machine teaches you about your body and cycles so that it helps you with prevention but also to get pregnant because you know when to try for a baby. It also tells you if you are pregnant. I am very excited about it and can’t wait to get started. I really wish I had known about it 13 years ago…

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    sweet!

  • elizabethhelizabethh Raw Newbie

    i honestly wouldn’t take the pill, the companies themselves are now asserting the high risks of strokes and blood clots that accompany the use of the pill. my best friend was on it for two years with terrible mood swings, and when she got off it, she gained a lot of weight all of a sudden and just felt really “weird” as she says…i say don’t mess with your hormones.
    there are other kinds of birth control that aren’t so invasive, or risky. good luck!

  • skizzyskizzy Raw Newbie

    blotchy skin, weight gain, depression, diminished sex drive<

    i can honestly say i haven’t experienced any of these problems once i found the right pill.

    i’d question that the pill “absolutely” contributes to cancer; i’ve read much conflictiing information. the blood clot problem seems to be true, but the risk is diminished greatly if you don’t smoke.

    i understand if some people are against taking it, but i educated myself thoroughly before making the decision to go on the pill. it truly is the best decision for me until i can find a doctor willing to surgically sterilize me (i’m under 30 with no children—very difficult!). i know too many barrier-method babies to trust condoms. if avoiding an abortion makes me less humane, then so be it.

  • i was on the patch and then the nuva ring for 3 years, it was great at the beginning, especially the nuva ring, it had such low amounts of hormones. but after a while it would make me itchy, give me yeast infections and i ended up NEVER having sex because of it. i finally just stopped taking it and am using the FAM method plus a barrier method for extra protection and its working so well! i do not do it while i’m ovulating, and for the rest of the month use a barrier method.

    i feel good that i’m not supporting some pharmaceutical company and that i am taking charge of my fertility. i never found out if the nuva ring was vegan or not, like people above, i felt that not having a baby was more important than a small amount of animal products. but that is really up to the individual, how far does one want to take their vegan morals.

  • JDJD

    Alex1962, since when did Wyeth market Premarin as birth control? As far as I know it is only for menopause.

    Honeywater, I’m actually on the pill and would not go off at all. For as long as I can remember, my cycle has been a nightmare. I never went on the pill for actual birth control reasons but rather to regulate and diminish my horrific experience every month. I’ve been tested for irregularities and I am completely healthy so doctors have no explaination for me other than it just happens to some people. “I LOVE MY PILL” and I have the added benefit of birth control :) I can definitely say you might have to try a couple different ones before finding the right one.

  • I used the Billings Method to find out when I was ovulating, based on my own body’s signals..and still got pregnant, when everyone I knew who knew about the method said it was not possible. I’m on the Nuva Ring now—no daily pill to remember and low dosage. It’s not worth the risk unless you wouldn’t mind getting pregnant, IMO.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Pundee, thank you!1 I’ve been yapping on the phone with my folks all morning while posting all over the net, hahaa, don’t do this! Thanks for the vocab check!. (btw—I took Premarin, ick! So glad I wised up)

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    The pill fools your body into thinking it’s pregnant. That certainly can’t be good, raw or not!

  • Northern lights:

    I’m confused. Does the pearly only test basal body temperature and no other signs?

  • Well, I am not positive, because I don’t have it yet (in the mail on the way!) but based on what I have read about it yes, it checks only basal body temperature. You take your temperature upon rising (it has a built in thermometer) and it does all the work of charting. You could probably achieve the same result by buying that type of thermometer and charting yourself… but that seemed like too much work to me. They say that it is 99.3 % effective (the same as the pill). It shows a red light when you shouldn’t have sex, green when you can and yellow if it doesn’t have enough info to say either way. I expect a couple months of a lot of yellow lights at first while it learns my cycle.

  • From what I’ve studied about basal body temperature is that it only is able to confirm when you ovulated, not that it can predict when you are going to ovulate. Is the machine making an educated guess based on your past cycles?

  • Hmmm… probably. It is probably not the best solution for women with really variable cycles. However, if it doesn’t have enough information than you get a yellow light. So with variable cycles I would expect several days with yellow lights…. but, I don’t know for sure. I guess that if you are considering it than it might be a good idea to contact somebody who has more experience with it. I have read lots of testimonials from people who it really works for… so I am hoping that I will be one of those!

  • honeywater- I wouldn’t be so concerned if you think taking birth control is something you want to check into. There are LOTS of different methods these days, most with very low risks of side effects. I have never read conclusive evidence that taking birth control causes breast cancer, and The true research on the connection is inconclusive. The studies that have found connection of increased risk showed less than 2% of an increased risk, and these were only found in women who had taken the pill 10 years or longer. Also – some of these studies have been done on older women who took older versions of birth control when they were younger. The early versions had much higher levels of estrogen than current pills. I personally think that SOME (certainly not all) people out there who perpetuate those rumors are more interested in spreading their own religious beliefs than presenting factual information about women’s health. Women’s reproductive health seems to be quite a point of contention among many, for some reason. You are already at a lower risk for all kinds of health problems because of the raw lifestyle. So – no the pills are not raw, but no, I TRULY don’t believe they will be THAT bad for you.
    Also – in terms of side effects – again, with the many options out there, you can easily avoid the skin problems, weight gain et cetera that were problems people observed with the pills out 15 years ago. When I went on BC at age 18, I experienced no weight gain, no mood problems, and my skin actually cleared up (ortho-tri-cyclen is known to help clear up skin). I recently switched to nuva ring after 8 VERY reliable years of the pill because of the conveniance of not having to take a daily pill as well as the lower hormone level. After an initial period of some mood swings during the first month of the switch (to be expected, most side effects fade with time), I’ve had no more problems, my periods are lighter. I strongly suggest you talk to your OB-GYN doctor about your concerns about the risk and make the decision with her about what is best for you. Side effects are different for everyone, so don’t expect that just because someone else experienced bad symptoms that you neccessarily will. And if you do, you can either switch to a different method or stop taking them.
    I’m with pundee- I LOVE my birth control and will not go off it until I am ready to have children. Reproductive choices and freedoms are the greatest gifts our mothers and grandmothers have given us with their hard work, sweat and tears. The point is, it is YOUR CHOICE to make, and if you decide that is what is best for you, don’t feel bad about it. If not, be happy with the other available options, and go with what works best for you mentally and physically.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    I’m not perpetuating any “rumor”. I do take issue with that. Ultimately I find that people will find the reports to justify anything they want to do.

  • For sure, birth control pills can be great for some people. And I really was good with taking it all those years. It is a very effective method and many people take it to improve how they feel… every method will have some compromise. I didn’t have that many side effects (some weight gain and possibly some depression, less sex drive) I guess I started to get concerned about taking the pill when I started planning to get pregnant. I am sure it will all be fine… but in trying to prepare my body to conceive it has been important for me to go all natural… I think also with being raw I just want to know what I am putting in my body and fake hormones are not on the list of things I want in me. With the fertility monitor I will have to use some barrier methods (which for us is kind of a drag) or get creative under the sheets ;) but it is worth it for me because I want to understand my cycle throughout the baby thing… and if it really works for us in the long run I feel I will be protecting myself from potential negative side effects of taking hormones. Good luck in your search for a good method for you!

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    This is a great topic.

    I’m past menopause so this is not an issue for me, however I took birth control pills when I was ‘active’ and IMHO they really mess you up. Not good for health at all.

    I took them for 5 years, stopped for a few months, and took them again for 1-2 months. I didn’t notice side effects during the first 5 years, but did notice them after I got off for a few months and then started up again. Weird mood swings, body/mind just felt bizarre, weight gain. I got off the stuff and felt fine again.

    Personally, even if you don’t have any bad effects, suppressing the natural function cannot be good for you.

    If I had it to do again, I’d use a combination of condoms and the natural methods of figuring out when you’re ovulating. A midwife friend swears by one that involves noticing the quality of the vaginal mucus/discharge. Here’s a link to the system she uses: http://www.woomb.org/, and an article by a friend that mentions her: http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/familypl…

    This is in no way a judgement against anyone who uses birth control pills, just chiming in my 2

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    I am a huge fan of the copper IUD. None of my doctors ever mentioned it as an option and I’m wondering if that’s because it lasts 1o years and is not a huge moneymaker. A friend told me about it and I was surprised because I always thought IUD’s were a bit risky, but I guess those were our mothers’ IUDs. It lasts 10 YEARS and there are no hormones, chemicals, side effects. I was on the pill for many many years and then switched to quarterly shots but I wish I had learned about this long ago. You will be crampy for a few weeks, but it goes away and then you never have to think about birth control. You won’t have the advantages of regulated periods but I’d much rather be free of hormones and chemicals. Being raw has led to less painful periods anyway.

    Good luck!

  • i looked into the iud thing as well and there is a recent one that came out that lasts 5 years. i talked to my mom about it (she’s a midwife) and she said that the iud is mostly for women who have already had kids vs women who are in their childbearing years and may want kids in the future because of the duration it lasts and because there have been some anecdotal evidence of women who may have miscarriages after taking out the iud, so it’s usually recommended for women who have already had all the kids they want to have. it’s more expensive, too but, as amysue pointed out, since it’s a one time thing and not a huge moneymaker I’m sure the manufacturers want to get as much buck as they can out of it.
    I agree that people will often find the “evidence” they want to support whatever their viewpoint is. I just got done with a research methods class in which we did alot of critical analysis of research studies. if you look at the actual published research on whatever topic, vs just taking the information from some other journalist or doctor who read it, you have to be very critical of the methods that are used and how they draw their conclusions. Often, the “meat” of the research is very weak and their methods are flawed and incomplete. therefore i’m pretty skeptical about the information that is presented in the mass media, especially about our health. there is so much conflicting information out there, particularly about cancer, and you just have to be careful about who is funding the research and what alterior motive people may have.

  • You should read this:
    http://www.shazzie.com/raw/transformation/shell…

    and this (this link is on the previous page but i put it here too in case you don’t get that far…):
    http://abcinternetmarketing.com/depo-provera/

    I’m NEVER going back to artificial hormones. I was on the pill for a few years, then had the depo shot once, then implanon. I can’t say I had any problems that I can directly pin on using them – I’ve been overweight ever since and depressed a good deal of that time too, but plenty of people are who DON’T take them so it may well be coincidence.

    For me, it just doesn’t make any sense to go to all this trouble trying to lead as “natural” (toxin-free) a life as possible and then pump my body full of this stuff. You’re kidding yourself if you think it isn’t toxic and won’t have an effect, whether you are raw or not. Do you even know what else is in there, besides the actual body-messing-up hormones?

    I sympathise with those who aren’t the organised, temperature- and mucus-monitoring, calendar-keeping types. I’m not one myself, and I know my husband would never have any confidence that we could avoid getting pregnant using this method! We’re still discussing what our plan is going to be once this baby is born.

    Or else hubby’s having the snip… ;-)

  • teadeteade Raw Newbie

    I’ve been on the pill for two years, mostly because of the fear of getting pregnant.
    I can agree with not being able to abstain during those 6 days (for temp control, etc). lol. It also really helped the length and flow, which was too heavy (but probably fixed with raw?)
    I also kind of have a fear of unwanted intercourse… so.. yea.
    I haven’t had weight gain or bad acne, but I do have strange moods (but that might run in the family)
    I’m planning on experimenting with stopping the pill in the coming year.. so I’ll try and post my symptoms.. lol.
    Otherwise, I don’t think its as bad as alot of people make it out to be.
    I’m not saying its harmless, but sometimes you just have to have that peace of mind..?

  • I tried many methods, I hated all of them. In my opinion, there is no alternative better than knowing my own body. and natural family planning can work, you just have to be diligent about it and know your body. here’s a link to one woman’s story: http://www.dyingtogetwell.com/
    keep in mind that men are also responsible in matters of fertility, it takes 2…

  • There is only one way that really, truly and fiarly works, and thats vasectomy. It only costs $250 when done with modern techniques, leaves no scar and is 100% vegan. As for women, the only drawback is that if you do get knocked up, there’ll be some serious explaining to do. My partner routines describes it as the best investment he’s ever made.

    I know this isn’t very helpful for those still cattin’ around, but I refuse to believe that birth control is a woman’s responsibility, even if it often ends up that way. After 30, I refused to date fertile men and still had plenty of takers.

  • skizzyskizzy Raw Newbie

    i’m all for vasectomies, but ultimately it is my body that i am trying to avoid impregnating. even if my partner gets the snip, i still fully intend to take safeguards of my own to keep from getting pregnant. even though i know that vasectomies are safer and cheaper than tubals or essure, i’m still going to try for those because i want full control over my body’s fertility, not someone else’s.

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